What the hell is Guillain-Barré Syndrome?

At the end of June 2011, Andrew, a physically fit former athlete, high school football coach and teacher who could easily jog several miles a day, was struck by a quickly progressing autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome, which causes debilitating paralysis and can ultimately lead to death. He was diagnosed early and his case considered mild. Many have it much worse. Yet, after going through the most confusing, terrifying week of our lives, we wanted to share our story and, perhaps, help someone else. var _gaq = _gaq || []; _gaq.push(['_setAccount', 'UA-24373124-1']); _gaq.push(['_trackPageview']); (function() { var ga = document.createElement('script'); ga.type = 'text/javascript'; ga.async = true; ga.src = ('https:' == document.location.protocol ? 'https://ssl' : 'http://www') + '.google-analytics.com/ga.js'; var s = document.getElementsByTagName('script')[0]; s.parentNode.insertBefore(ga, s); })();

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A game changer

We fought a battle last week. It continues, but we're winning now. Few know about it, and many of those who do have little idea of what it really entailed. We wanted a way to share what happened with family and friends, partly to explain in advance why Andrew is now walking with a cane or why his smile is a little droopy on the left, but also to preserve it for others going through a similar experience. And for us, as a way to process what just happened.

The pages linked above chronicle the discovery, development, and ultimate defeat of a life threatening autoimmune disorder called Guillain-Barré Syndrome. Getting it was unlucky — only about 3,500 Americans do each year — but we were lucky. It could have been a lot worse.

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How quickly things change